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archaeological excavation has been

going on for 100 years in Athichanallur,
period. Historical period has proof of
wr i t t en evi dences and ot her
evidences. The written evidences are
literary work, historical notes, stone
edicts, copper plates and palm leaves.
5. PREHISTORIC PERIOD
HISTORY
Inian, a student of standard six
was reading the newspaper. He was
astonished. An amazing discovery! An
animal called Dinosaur lived many
million years ago. The eggs of the
Dinosaur were excavated near Ariyalur.
They belonged to the prehistoric
period. What is 'prehistoric
period'?
Can you tell us the history of your
family?
1. What is your father's name?
2. What is your grandfather's
name?
3. What is your great grandfather's
name?
4. What is your grandfather's
grandfather's name?
5. What is your grandfather's
grandfather's father's name?
The Earlymen
Fromwhere do we get these old
things? Who has discovered all these?
Read this news and find out. The
which is in Tirunelveli District in Tamil
Nadu.Recently in2004,they excavated
morethan 160 burial urns inone place.
This proved that people lived in that
place longago.
You can answer the first two
questions only. But we don't know the
answers to questions such as the
names of our grandfather's father and
grandfather's grandfather. If this is the
case, what are the evidences to find
about the people who lived hundred,
two hundred, five hundred and
thousand years ago. The sources about
these are known as History. What is
History? History tells about the people
who lived in the past with evidences
accordingtothe ages.
The written and archaeological
evidences that tell us about the period
in which people lived, events, food
habits, customs, culture, forms of
government and literature are known
as historical evidences. History can be
divided into pre-history and historical
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Evidences to know about pre-historic
period:
To know about the pre-historic
period, there are evidences such as the
things that belonged to that period,
ruins,fossils,horns and bones of
animals, tools made of stones, skulls
and deposits (impressions) which are
found in different places around the
world as well as in India. With the helpof
all these we knowabout the pre-historic
periodof India.
The Pre-historic periodcan beclassified
as:
PalaeolithicAge - Old StoneAge
(BC 10000years ago)
Neolithic Age- NewStoneAge
(BC 10000 -BC4000)
ChalcolithicAge- Copper Stone Age
(BC3000-BC 1500)
IronAge - IronAge
(BC 1500-BC600)
With the help of the tools used by
early man, we can divide the stone age
into Old stone age and New stone age.
1. OldStoneAge: ( PalaeolithicAge)
He was a nomad. He lived in the jungle.
He took shelter on the branches of
trees,in holes and caves. Hediscovered
fire by usingthe flint stone. The primitive
man was scared of thunder and
lightningandworshipped them.
He had to protect himself from
cold, Sun and rain. He wore dresses
made out of leaves, skin of animals and
barks of trees. He used stones,
branches of trees, bones and horns of
the animals asweapons.
He ate vegetables, fruits, roots
and meat of animals which he gathered
from the jungle. Since he could not find
food in one place he went from place to
place insearch of food.
Early men - Making Tools
Words giving the same meaning with
littledifference :
some years ago, many years ago,
ancient, long long ago, from time
immemorial, primitive.
>
>
Era of some important events
Beginning of the Earth -
4.6 Billion years ago
Appearance of man - 4000
years ago (Homosepians)
Beginning of agriculture-8000
years ago
Beginning of the cities -
4700 years ago
BC - Before Christ
AD -Anno Domini
CE - Common Era
BCE - Before Common Era
BC 31 - Birth of Thiruvalluvar
BT - Before Thiruvalluvar
AT -After Thiruvalluvar
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place to place in search of food and for
Did the primitive man store the
food?
Where and how did he store?
Did he share?
Did he preserve the food?
Why should the food be
preserved?
Name the food items that we
preserve and store nowadays.
When he did not find vegetables,
fruits and roots, he hunted animals. He
usedstones, branches, bones, horns of
animals etc. to hunt animals. In the
beginning he hunted small animals all
alone. Then they hunted in groups.
Both men and women involved
inhunting.
Inthe Pimpet Ca cave in Madhya
Pradeshwe see a painting. This depicts
a woman with her child tied to her waist
throwing an arrow. From this we know
that women were also involved in
hunting.
What for the early man hunted
the wild animals? Is it to protect himself
fromthewild animal orforfood?
Why did the government amend
laws to protect the wild animals?
Places in India where the Old stone
age tools were found:
Madyapradesh - Soan River bank,
Pimpet Ca, Mageshwa.
Rajasthan - Luni Valley.
Karnataka - Pagalkhat.
Andhrapradesh - Karnool caves,
Renigunta.
Tamilnadu - Vadamadurai,
Athirambakkam, Pallavaram,
Kanchipuram, Vellur, Thiruvallur.
2. NewStoneAge: (NeolithicAge)
Old stone age man went from
hunting animals. Then he learnt to
produce his food. He domesticated
animals likegoat, cowand hen.
The first animal he tamed was
dog, which helped him in hunting. He
reared goats and cows and had milk as
his food. The next stage inthe evolution
of manis knownas NewStoneAge.
During this age, he used polished,
carved, sharp stone weapons. In this
period, he started to produce food.
Wheel was invented. As a result of this,
he was able to transport things from one
place to another easily. With the help of
wheels he made pots. He sharpened the
crude weapons and attached them with
handles made up of wood and bones.
Metal was in use. Copper was the first
metal used by him.
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They built mud houses with

thatched roofs and began to live in
groups insmall villages.

The houses were round or oval

shaped. They were built below the
ground level and thatched with wooden
planks.

Agriculture was their main

occupation.

They domesticated and reared

animals.
Axes, handles made out of bones,
fishing hooks, needle and chopper
were inuse.
During the New stone age they had
the practice of burying the dead. The
dead were buried along with their
tamed animals in the frontyard of their
houses.
the pots they used. The Harappan
culture belongedto this age. Let us learn
indetail about this inthe next lesson.
/,
(
1
ChalcolithicAge weapons
4. IronAge :
The period when the tools were
made up of iron was called Iron Age.
Household articles and agricultural
implements were made out of iron.
They learnt to melt the metal and make
weapons. They were creative. Vedic
period belongedtothe IronAge.
List the tools made out of iron
which are in use now. Compare
them with the tools used before.
Places where New stone age
weapons were found:
Tirunelveli, Thandikkudi, Pudukottai,
Tiruchirapalli and Salem.
3. CopperAge : (ChalcolithicAge)
At the end of the Newstone age,
man came to know the use of copper.
He made tools out of copper as well as
small stones. So this age is known as
Chalcolithic Age. They drew colourful
pictureswith geometrical patterns on
Madhyapradesh - Pimpet Ca
Alloys:
. ,
Stainless
Iron + Chromium =
steel
Copper + Lead = Bronze
Copper + Zinc = Brass
Iron + Maganese = Steel
Important words fromthe lesson:

Archaeology

Excavation

Primitive

Stone Age
CopperAge

IronAge

Historical evidences

Deposits

Million

Bronze
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Evaluation:
I.Choosethe correct answer :
1. Pre-history means
a) period having written evidences
b) period having nowritten evidences
c) periodwhich haveall the 3 evidences liketime, place and events
2. Oldstone age people
a) wore cotton clothes
b) wore leaves, barksof trees and skin of animals
c) wore woollen clothes
3. Thefirst animal tamed by primitive man was
a) cow
b) horse
c) dog
II. Fill inthe blanks :
1. The early man. .dependingon nature.
2. To knowthetruths of ancient period, we must read
_
3. The Oldstone age manused
_
stones.
4. The primitiveage is
_
than the ancient period.
5. We must read
_
to knowabout the primitiveage.
6. The period when the tools were made up of Iron was called.
7. Newstone age manused
_
to make pots.
Matchthefollowing :
I.Tamil Nadu
2.Andra Pradesh
3. Madhya Pradesh
4. Karnataka
Pagalkhat
Athirampakkam
Karnool
PimpetCa
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IV. Answerthe following:
1. What is history?
2. List the evidencesto knowabout history.
3. What doyou mean by pre-historic period?
4. What arethefour classifications of the pre-historic period?
5. What were the dresses of the early man?
6. Drawand compare any fourtools of Oldstone age and Newstone age.
7. Write a short note on new stone age.
Prepare a table of details from the informations you have gathered
fromthis lesson.
Period Stages of man/occupation Tools used
Old stone age Primitive man -
Gathering food, Hunting
Crude stones
New stone age Stone age man
-
Rearing
of animals, Agriculture
Polished and carved stones
Copper age
Iron age
Write the names of your family members
Write the name Write the name
1. Father
2. Father's father : (Grandfather)
_
Father's mother : (Grandmother).
3. Grand father's father :
_
(Great grandfather) :
_
Grand father's mother :
(Great grandmother)
_
Mother :
Mother's father : (Grandfather)
_
Mother's mother: (Grandmother).
Grandmother's mother :
_
Grandmother's father :
_
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List them.
feel about that
( FormativeAssesment )
1. Findout whether there are any inscriptions and monuments in your area and
collect informationabout them.
2. Are stones still usedastools?
3. Collect informationand photosfromthe news paper about the excavations.
4. Howdoyou ancient mangot the ideato invent thewheel.
5. Visit the nearest placewhere the stonage instruments arefound.
6. Mark the places in the India map, from where the stone age instruments were
discovered.
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6.
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INDUSVALLEY CIVILIZATION
Why do we call the modern age as Computer age?After the invention
of electricity, computer is regarded as the most important one and so it is
called Computerage.
In the previous lesson, we
studied about the early man. The period
when early man usedstone was known
as stone age. The first metal known to
man was copper. So he used both
copper and stone. That age was known
as Copper Stone Age. During that
period there existed an ancient
civilization in Indiawhich was the Indus
Valley Civilization. (Harappa)
This is the beginning of the Indian
civilization.
Harappa:
In 1856, when the British ruled
India, they laid railway lines on the
banks of River Ravi, a branch of Indus
river. They found a mound of sand.
There they saw well- burnt bricks and
ruins.
They took those bricks and constructed
the railway lines. So they destroyed
manysuchwalls of the buildings.
In 1921, archaeologists found out
that it was the ancient city of India.
Harappa in Sindhi means 'Buried City'.
The cities discovered after the Indus
Valley Civilization were named as
HarappanCivilization.
This civilization flourished in
India about 4700 years ago. Likewise,
the ruins of the cities were found in
Mohenjo-daro, Chanhu-daro,
Kalibanganand Lothal.
The Great Bath:
The most important structure
found inthe citadel was the Great Bath.
It was built of kiln-fired bricks and
sealedwith a liningof bitumen.
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Rupar
R.Sutlei
Kalibangan
Lothal
Town planning :
The Indus valley cities were well
planned. The northern part of the town
was narrow and elevated. The
excavators considered that those were
constructed on security basis. The
eastern side was broad and lowered.
We get more informationfrom this town
planning.
Mohenjo
-
daro in Sindhi means
'Mound of Dead'
The town was built with experts
who were well versed in the art of town
planning.
There would have been an
administrative committee in the city to
administer it.
There were steps on both the
sides of the pool. There were rooms on
all the sides of the pool for changing
clothes. It was fed by water from a well
and the dirty water was emptied by a
hugedrain.
Buildings :
Houseswere built ingrid system.
There were houses which had two
rooms and multistoried houses, public
hall, granary and public buildings built
out of bricks. There were no windows in
the houses. Every house hada well and
a bathroom. There were dustbins in
front of the houses.
Indus Valley Civilization
> Bolan
"V
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We have an idea about ancient
man from the archaeological
evidences. This is the place where you
canwrite your ideas.
List the similarities and the
differences between the Great Bath of
the IndusValley and the ponds that are
seen in the temples of Tamil Nadu.
What types of machinery would they
have usedtofill the ponds?
Houses were built on both the sides
of the broadstreets insystematic order.
The houses had flat roofs and
were many storied.
Administration:
The public drainage system, the
Great Bath, the public hall, street lights
and the provision of dustbins show that
the administrative system was well
organized.
Drainagesystem:
The drains from the houses were
covered. They ran along the sides of
the streets which were connectedto the
street drains.
They had manholes at regular
intervalsfor cleaning.
Applied Science:
The science and technology such as
construction, selections of lands ,
measurement of plots, foundation,
selection of quality building materials
and geometrical figures were inuse.
Lifestyle of IndusValley people :
Row houses were built for the
employers of town administration.
People exported and imported things
like metals, precious stones,
ornaments and various useful
products.
Statue of a man with beard made of limestone Drainage system - Mohenjo-daro
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Dancing girl
Pasupathi
Pieces of broken pots excavated from Harappa
Pots: They made pots with the help of potter's
wheel. They were polishedand coloured.
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Handicrafts:
There would have been workers
like document writers, seal makers,
carpenters, doll makers, masons and
other artisans.
They also found out dolls made
out of terracotta and other playing
articles out of shells, brass, copper,
silverand gold.
They used copper and bronze to
makeweapons, household articles and
tools. Gold and silver were used to
make ornaments. Weights were made
out of a kindof stone.
Terracotta seals:
Hundreds of rectangular seals
were discovered here. Pictographic
writings were written on them. The
script had not been deciphered yet. On
the terracotta seals, bulls, cart, dove,
boats and a figure of a human
meditatingare seen.
Script:
The terracotta planks discovered
here were engraved with letters. The
figures that were engraved on the seals
and the pictorial writing showed their
skill of writing. They were pictographic
writing.
Each picture depicts a specific
meaning. Each page was written from
right to left and left to right.
These writings are related with
the ancient Tamil writings. There are
varied opinions regardingthis.
Ornaments found in Harappa
1
Seals
iX,
nr
<z. tre SJ
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-:J
fit
uf,. m
HI
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if
4.
=#rr
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-11
Pictorial writing
188
Occupation :
In the Indus Valley there were
agriculturists, artisans, traders,
weavers, potters and blacksmiths.
Agriculture was their main occupation,
They cultivated wheat and barley.
They stored the surplus grains in the
granary.
1. List the various occupations in
your area.
2. Do we store grains? If yes, where
and how?
3. Gather evidences to provethat Indus
Valley peopletraded by sea.
Dress :
People wore cotton and woollen
dresses. Menwore a garment similar to
the 'dhoti' as lower garment and a shawl
as uppergarment.
Sculpture:
The statue of a dancing girl
made out of bronze found in Mohenjo-
daro and the statue of a manwith beard
made out of limestone are examples of
the excellent sculptures.
Religion:
The articles excavated in
Mohenjo-daro tell us about their
religious Practices and the love
towards their religion. They worshipped
Lord Shiva represented as Pasupathi,
Mother Goddess, Lingam, Trident and
trees.
They buried the dead in urns
alongwith food and ornaments.
Causes forthe decline of the towns:
1.Wooden articles would have got
destroyed byfire.
Ornaments :
To make ornaments they used
gold, silver, ivory, and precious stones.
Poor people wore ornaments made out
of shells and copper. Both men and
women wore manyornaments.
2. Rivalry because of the civil war.
3.Natural calamities and the change in
the course of River Induswould have
buriedthings.
Art:
They were experts in making
pots out of terracotta. The figures of
birds, animals, images of male and
female, bullock cart driven by a man,
pots and bowlswere discovered.
4.The Aryans would have destroyed
these towns inordertosucceed.
5.The heap of bones discovered in
Mohenjo-daro is evidence of the
invasionof theforeigners.
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Evaluation:
I. Choosethe correct answer:
1. Which of these helpyou to knowabout IndusValley Civilization?
a. stone inscriptions b. archaeological evidences
c. copperplates
2. Mohenjo-daro means
a. Gardencity b. Port city c. Moundof Dead
3. Port Lothal of the Copper StoneAge is in
a. Punjab b.Sindu c.Gujarat
4. HarappanCivilizationwas
a. Civilization of village b. Civilization of town c. Civilization of
corporation
5. The metal unknownto IndusValley people
a. gold b.iron c. copper
6. Harappa inSindhi means
_
a. BuriedCity b. City of Fort c. City of Rivers
II. Fill inthe blanks:
1.The main Godof the Harappanswas _.
2. The excavationof the IndusValley Civilizationwas done in_
3. The Great Bathissituated at _.
4. _was thewriting usedbythe IndusValley people.
III. Matchthefollowing:
1. Great Bath
2. Excavation
3. Wheel
4. Terracotta
5. Punjab
- pots
- burnt clay
- Ravi
- Mohenjo-daro
- 1921
IV. Answer the following:
1. List the occupation of the Flarappans.
2. Write about the Great Bath.
3. What are the causes for the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization?
4. Explain the writings of the Indus Valley people.
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( FormativeAssesment )
1. Why did civilizationorginateat the riverbanks-Discuss.
2. Howto you knowthe cities are plannedand constructed?
3. Visit the nearest museum.
4. Mark the following places in the outline map of India. Lothal, Kalibankan, Rupar,
Harappa, Mohenjo-daro.
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1.THEVEDIC PERIOD
The Aryans migrated to India
through the Khyber and Bolan passes
from central Asia. Being shepherds,
they moved in search of pastures for
their cattle. They entered about 4000
years ago and settled inthe entire north
India.
The places where they settled in
Indiawas calledArya Vardham. Aryans
made their livelihood by herding the
cattle. They compiled the prayers of
their ancestors as Vedas. In History,
this was called the Vedic Age. The
VedicAge was classified intotwo. They
were Early Vedic Age and Later Vedic
Age.
Early Vedic Age or Age of Rig Veda:
(BC 1500 - BC 1000)
When RigVeda was compiled the
Aryans lived in Sindu, which is now in
Pakistan. They settled in Sabta Sindhu
(The Land of Seven Rivers) in Punjab.
We come to know through the Rig
Veda, the political and social conditions
of the Aryans.
The Social life of Aryans
Family -Village
-Vis
->Jana -Janapatha
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R.Chenab
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Ahichatra
Asthinapuram
Kusinagar;
Mathura
Pateshwar"
Vaish
Kausambi
Rajagriham
Ujjaini
Lothal
Routes of the Aryans
Routes of the Aryans
a called
a
s
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Political Life
Social Life
The basic unit of the society was
family. Manyfamilies joined and formed
the village which was headed by the
Grahmini. Many villages formed Visu.
(Vis) Vishwapathy was the head of the
Visu. The next higher administrative
unit was Jana. The head of Jana was
Rajan(King).The personwho hadvalour
and strength became the Rajan. The
people lived in kingdom were
Prajas. The kingwas called Prajapathi.
Kingship became hereditary.Many
chieftainsformed the Mahajanapadas.
Findout:
Doyou haveafamily name?
Ask and find out the family names of your
neighbours.
Which God/Goddess do you worship?
The Raja (King) was assisted in
his administration by officials called
Prohit and Senai (Commander). There
were two Assemblies called Saba and
Samiti.
Saba -Group of Elders
Samiti
-Representativesof People
Duties of Raja (King)
He protected his lands from different
clans.
He conducted religious duties
accordingtothe adviceof the prohits.
He protected his people from poverty,
war and enmity.
During the war he led the people and
fought with the enemies.
Justice and punishments were given
after trial.
He extended and strengthened the
kingdom.
The father was the head of the
family. Inthe beginningwomenwere on
par with men inthe field of education
and religion. There were women
poets like Vishwawara, Abala, Kosa,
and Lobamuthra. Caste systemwas not
in existence. Monogamy and Polygamy
were in practice. Widows' remarriage
was permitted.
Economic Life
Cattle rearing and agriculture
were the main occupations of the
people during Rig Vedic Age. Iron was
used to make tools and instruments.
With the help of these tools they
destroyed the forests and made them
into cultivable lands. Carpentry and
weaving were also their occupations.
They produced cotton and
woollen clothes. Goldsmiths made
ornaments and potters made pots for
household use. Barter system was in
practice. Rivers were used for
transportation. Their unit of currency
Nishka.was
made of gold.
Mention the origin and growth of the
following:
Carpentry, blacksmith, goldsmith,
weaving, agriculture, cattle rearing and
makingweapons.
During this period
Br ahmanas, Upani shads and
Aranyakas were also written.
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Food
They had wheat, barley, milk,
curd, ghee, vegetables, fruits and meat
as their food. They drank intoxicating
drinks like'Soma' and 'Sura'.
Dressesandornaments
The Aryans used clothes made
of cotton and wool. Men wore dhoti and
shawl. They also wore turbans. Women
wore upper garments and lower
garments. Both men and women wore
ornaments. They wore earrings,
necklaces, bangles, anklets and wore
bandsontheirforeheads.
Religion
The Aryans worshipped the
forces of nature such as Sun, fire, air,
sky and trees. They also worshipped
Indira, Varna, Agni and Yaman. There
was neither temple nor idol worship in
the early vedic age. Religious sacrifices
were practised. They wrote religious
principles and their explanations. They
offered milk, ghee, grains and silk.
Yagas likeAshvamedha, Rajasuya and
Vajapaya were conducted during
poojas.
Later Vedic Period: (BC 1000- BC600)
The period of Sama Veda,
Atharvana Veda, Yajur Veda are called
the Later Vedic Period.
In this period the Aryans
spread overtheeasternside. (PreVedic
Aryans spread from Kabul to Upper
Ganges) During this period the
kingdoms emerged.
Political Life
The important administrative
regionwas the Indus Valley. Kingdoms
like Kosala, Videham, Kuru, Magadha,
Kasi, Avanthi and Panchala emerged.
Kingship became hereditary. The duty
of the king was to defend his country
from enemies and to maintain law and
order. Since the kingdomexpanded, he
had more responsibility. Sacrifices
such as Rajasuya and Ashvamedha
were performed to establish his
undisputed authority. Saba and
Samithi declined.
Economic Life
The metal widely used was iron.
Handicrafts improved because of this.
New tools were made. They grew
paddy, sugarcane, barley and wheat.
Cow dung was used as manure. Cattle
wealth developed. According to the
number of cattle owned by a person, his
economic status was estimated.
Broken pots of the
Aryan Period
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priests, rituals and sacrifices. It was
against these meaningless rituals and
costly sacrifices, Buddhism and
Jainism originated.
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There were weavers, tanners,
carpenters and goldsmith. Gold and
silver coins like Nishka, Swarna and
Satamanawere inuse.
Caste system became rigid
which was called Varna Dharma. Those
who performed sacrifices and religious
ceremonies were called Brahmanas.
Those who waged war to protect and
rule the country were known as
Kshatriyas. The Vaishyas were the
traders and farmers. The people who
served the three upper caste and did all
the menial works were called Sudras.
Status of Women
During the Later Vedic Period
there was no improvement inthe status
of women. They were subordinate
to men. They did not inherit property.
They were deprived of administrative
power. Child marriage was prevalent.
Women who belonged to the royal
family enjoyed some privileges. Sati,
according to which the widow would
throw herself intothe funeral pyreof her
husbandwas in practice.
Education
According to the Aryan Dharma,
the Brahmin students stayed in the
Gurukul ( home of the teacher) and
learnt. There were highly educated
women like Gargi and Maitreyi. In the
Gurukul, they learnt philosophy, logic,
religion, grammar, astrology, medicine,
discipline, mathematics, Vedas and
Upanishads. The royal children alone
were taught Danur Veda (military
strategy).
Religion
There were a lot of changes in
the religion according to the Varna
Dharma of the Brahmins. The pre-
vedic Gods lost their importance. In
this period, Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra
(Siva) gained importance. Rituals and
animal sacrifices gained importance.
People had faith in soul, fate and
moksha. Bythe end of this periodthere
was opposition for the rule of the
103
Qualities of Dravidians and Aryans
S.No.
Qualities of Dravidians Qualities of Aryans
1.
Dark complexion, medium height, dark
long hair.
Fair, tall and brown hair.
2.
Main occupation-Trade and agriculture. Main occupation-Cattle rearing
and war.
3.
Wore cotton clothes. Wore woollen, cotton and dresses
made out of skin of animals.
4.
Important animal bull.
They worshipped bull.
Important animal cow.
They worshipped cow.
5.
Built houses out of burnt bricks. Built houses out of bamboo and
clay.
6.
Worshipped idols, lingam, trident, sakthi
and snake.
No idol worship and temples.
Worshipped nature and
performed yagas and rituals.
7.
Used copper. They did not know the use
of iron.
Used iron.
8.
Tiger was known. Horse was unknown. Tiger was unknown. Used
horses.
9.
Agricultural civilization, towns. Cattle rearing civilization,
villages.
Evaluation
Choosethe correct answer
1. The period of Rig Veda
a. BC1600- BC1000 b. BC1000- BC600 c. BC1500 - BC1000
2. The unit of currency usedduring RigVedic period
a. Nishka b. Rupee c. Dollar
3. Thewoman who excelled ineducation inthe Later Vedic Period.
a.Gargi b.Abella c. Kosa
Fill inthe blanks
1. The headof the village was _.
2. Widows' _was inpracticeduringthe EarlyVedic Period.
3. Assembly that consisted of the Representativesof Peoplewas_.
4- According to _, the widow would throw herself into the funeral
pyre of her husband.
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State whether the following statements are True or False
104
III.
1. Sabta Sindu iscalledthe 'Landof Seven Rivers'
2. The commander- in- chief was the Senai.
3. Widows' remarriagewas not allowed in RigVedicAge.
4. The basic unit of the society was family.
5. Tiger was unknownto the Dravidians.
IV. Matchthe following
1. Satamana - Shiva
2. Praja - Rajan
3. Rudra - Vishwapathy
4. HeadofJana - coins
5. HeadofVisu - peopleof the kingdom
V. Answer the following
1. List the ornaments of the RigVedic people.
2. What didthe Brahminstudents learnduringthe Later Vedic Period?
3- Compare and contrast the qualities of the Aryan and the Dravidian
Civilization.
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
1. Searchfromthe Internet
i. KaibarandPolenpasses.
ii. Knowtheir role in Indianhistory.
2. Collect various kindsof coins and listouttheinformation knownfromthem.
3. Comparethe status of women duringtheVedic periodandthe present day.
4. On the outline map of India mark out the route of Aryans to India and the
following places.
i. Kalibangam v. RajaGiraham
ii. Mohenjo-Daro vi. Vaishali
iii. Lothal vii. Mathura
iv. Ujjaini viii. Asthinapuram
105
2. JAINISMAND BUDDHISM
The 6th century was a period of
intellectual awakening. During that
period, Jainism and Buddhism arose in
India. These two religions existed to
reformed the s o c i o - reI i g i o u s
organizations. The aim of these
religions is to remove the superstitious
beliefs, unwanted religious rituals and
the caste discrimination. Vardhamana
Mahavira was the founder of Jainism.
Gautama Buddha was the founder of
Buddhism.
JAINISM
In Jainism, 24 Thirthangaras
were worshipped. The first
Thirthangara was Adhinathar, who was
known as Rishabadevar. Vardhamana
Mahavira is the last Thirthangara.
(24th) He gave a strong formation to
Jainism.
Vardhamana Mahavira lived
during B.C.534
-
B.C.462. Hewas born
in Kundagramam near Vaishali Nagar,
which is now in Bihar. His father was
Siddhartha and mother was Trisala.
His wife was Yasodha and he had a
daughter calledAnoja Priyadharshana.
At the age of 30, he gave up all the
worldly pleasures and became an
ascetic. He performed penance for 12
years, seeking answerforthe problems
during these days. He treated bothjoy
and sorrow equally. He won in his
searchfor truth. So he was called
"Jina" which means the "Conqueror".
People also called him as "Mahavira".
Mahavira went to many places
preaching his principlesfor 30years.
1WI AS X W
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.If

Mahavira
Why are people born? Why do
they die? What are the causes for their
sufferings? -These were the important
questions that arose in him. He started
thinking why people are troubling
others and cheating each other. One
set of people said that it was becauseof
the sin they did inthe previous birth. But
Mahavira never accepted this. He
thought that how people could not
commit sin inthis birth.
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being.
Epics -
Literature and Grammar works-
Sillapathigaram,
Chivgachinthamani,
Vallayapathi and Soodanani.
Yapperungalaviruthi,
Neminatham,
Nannool,
Agaporulvillakam,
Naladiar,
Nanmanikadikai,
Pazhamozhi,
Thinaimalai Noorthiyampathu and
Tamil Nigandu.
106
So he said that one should not
harm others. Human beings are
responsible for their own problems. We
should not harm any living He
preacheda restricted life. Heasked his
followers to follow his principles of
'Ahimsa' or 'Non-Violence'. To attain the
spiritual goal the Jains starved and
subjected themselves to all bodily
hardships.
Contributionof Jains toTamil Literature:
Jainism stressed that no one should
kill any living creature. They eliminated
clothes. It insisted that they should not
wage war or do agriculture. Trade and
commerce was their occupation. The
religion preached that they should lead
a restricted life.
Three Gems orTriratna:
Right Knowledge
Right Belief Right Action
Kings who followed Jainism:
Chandragupta Maurya
Kalingathu Karavelen
Koon Pandian
Mahendravarma Pallava I
The Five Doctrines
1. Ahimsa (Non-Violence)
2. Satya(Truth)
3. Asatya(Non Stealing)
4. Aparigraha(Non-possession)
5. Brahmacharya(Celibacy)
His principles spread far and wide
when superstitious beliefs, quarrels and
fightings prevailed.
Contribution of Jains to architecture:
Rajasthan - Dilwara temple at
Mount Abu.
Kajiraho - Chittoor, Ranakpur-
Temples of Jains.
Dilwara
"Kollaan pulaalai marutthaanai kaikoopi
Ella uyirumthozhum"
- Thirukkural
Sculpture:

Udaiyagiri

Hathigumpa

Girnar

Saravanabelagola

Kazhugumalai
The statue of Gomatheswara at
Saravanabelgola is at Karnataka.
Bhuddhism
107
BUDDHISM
Gautama Buddha was the
founder of Buddhism. Hisoriginal name
was Siddhartha. He lived during 563
B.C.- 483 B.C. He was born at
Kapilavastu in Nepal. His father,
Siddhodana belonged to the Sakya
dynasty. His mother, Mayadevi died at
the seventh day of his birth, so he was
brought up by his step-mother. He got
married at the age of 16. His wife was
Yasodha and Rahul was hisson.
Even at his early age, he was
anxious to know about what was
happening in the world. He never
showed any interest in hunting and
luxury. The miseries and poverty of the
poor peopleaffected himvery much.
Buddha
He was disturbed by the luxury
on one side, poverty, sickness and old
age on the other side. He disowned his
parents, wife and son. He went to the
forest and meditated. Hecontrolled his
hunger and thirst. But he never got the
answerfor the question. Since he could
not get an answer, he stopped torturing
himself and ate food. To find out the
truth, he started thinking. He was
enlightened.
Siddhartha, who was
enlightened under a pipal tree at Gaya
became Buddha.
The meaning of the word
'Buddha' is a personwho knowswhat is
good, what is bad and what is
suffering.
He preached his first sermon at
Deer Park in Sarnath near Banares
in Uttar Pradesh.
Principlesof
Life isfull of miseries. The reasons
for the sufferings are not because of fate
orthe deeds of our previous birth. There
are other reasons for sorrows. We
should strive to overcome the sorrows
by not being greedy, not telling lies and
not harming others. To avoid miseries
one should have right thinking, right
speech and right livelihood. He opposed
caste discrimination. Man need not have
any fear for God, soul and fate. One
should depend and live on his own ideas
and knowledge. We should show
compassion towards animals, birds and
human beings.
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Buddha's principles on suffering
are the Four Noble Truths and the
principles on conduct are the 'Eight
Fold Paths'.
The Four Noble Truths are:
1. Life is full of sorrow.
2. Desire is the cause of sorrow.
3. Sorrow can be ended by giving up desire.
4. The eightfold path is the way to
end sorrow.
Eight - Fold Paths to overcome desire:
V
Right belief
S
Right speech
V
Right living
S
Right memory
V
Right effort
S
Right thought
V
Right action
/
Right meditation
In order to spread the truth he
went from place to place. Wherever he
went, he discussed his ideas with
various groups of people. Buddhist
monks came forward to spread the
principles of Buddha. The organization
of the monkswas called as 'Sangam'.
The agriculturists, poor people,
women, menial labourers and those
who were affected by the society
accepted the principles of Buddha. The
idea that all are equal was newto them.
So Buddhismspreadfar andwide.
Many kings followed Buddhism
likeJainism. The most important among
them was King Ashoka. Jainism and
Buddhismwere at their zenith till the 6th
century. They started to decline when
Flinduism regained its earlier position.
Buddhism split into Hinayana and
Mahayana.
( Mahayana

Accepted Buddha's
principles.
No idol worship.
V
Worshipped Buddha
as God.
Idol worship
_
J
Art and Architecture
WRafi
Sanchi Stupa
Even today Buddhism is followed in Ceylon, Burma, Tibet, China,
Japan and Thailand.
The kings who followed Bhuddism
-Ashoka, Kanishka and Flarsha.
Do you Know?
Properly
109
Our National Emblem (The figure
of four lions) is taken from the
capital ofAshoka Pillar.

The Chakra in our National Flag

which has 24 spokes is taken
from the 'Dharma Chakra' of the
Ashoka Pillar.

Bihar is the place where there are

many BuddhaViharas.
Historical Monuments

The Jataka tales describes the

history of Buddhism. The Jataka
stories are depicted at Gaya,
Sanchi and Burcut.

Ajantha and Ellora Cave

paintings which are in
Aurangabad at Maharastra
describe the fame of Buddha.
Gandhara art also belongs to
Buddhism.

The prayer halls of the Buddhist

monks are called Chaityas and
their monastries are called
Viharas. They are of rock cut
structures.
Manimekalai and Kundalakesi
are Buddhist literature.
The bookswritten by Jain monks.
Sillapathikaram, Nannool
(Grammar)
Chivagacinthamani; Vallayapathi
(Literature).

Religioustext: Angas and Purvas.

To know
Mahavamsam, a book of Sri Lanka
says that Tripitakas was written during
the reignofVattakkamini Abayan. InPali
language it is called asTripitakamwhich
meansthree baskets.
Water cannot enter into a
constructed house;
Evil thoughts cannot enter into the
hearts of those who have
good thoughts.
- Buddha.
Literature
The Buddhist religious texts are
called Tripitakas. They are
Vinaya Pitaka, SuttaPitaka and
Abhidamma Pitaka.
Evaluation
I. Choose the correct answer.
1. The one who laid strong foundation to Jainism
a) Vardhamana Mahavira b) Athinathan
2. The principles stressed by Jainism
a) idol worship b) not to kill
c) Rishabadeva
c) untouchability
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State whether the following statements are True or False
110
3.
4.
5.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
A place inTamil Naduwhere you can see Jainsculptures
a)Girnar b) Kazhugumalai c) Hathigumba
The placewhere Buddhawas enlightened
a) Kundagrammam b) Deer Park c)Gaya
One of the most important kingswho followed Buddhism
a) Chandra Gupta b)Ashoka c) Bindusara
Fill in the blanks.
_was known as Conqueror or Jina.
The principles stressed by Jainism are called _
is the place where Gomatheswara statue is situated.
The principles of Buddha are called _.
The organization of the Buddhist monks is called _
The Dharma Chakra in our National Flag is taken from the
pillar.
1. Mysore is the place where Gomatheswara statue is situated.
2. The son of Buddha was Rahul.
3. The founder of Jainism was Buddha.
4. Mahavira was the 24th Thirthankara.
5. There are 24 spokes in the Ashoka Chakra.
IV. Match the following.
1. Tripitakam - worshipped Buddha as God
2. Hinayana - Buddha's first sermon
3. Sillapathigaram - who accepted Buddha's prinicples
4. Deer Park - Jain literature
5. Mahayana - religious text of Jains
V. Answer in five lines.
1. What are the causes for the rise of Jainism and Buddhism?
2. Describe the Triratnas insisted on by Jainism.
3. Write short notes on the contribution of Jains to Tamil literature.
4. Write the Four Noble Truths of Buddha.
5. Mention the Eight Fold Paths to overcome desire.
VI. Answer in detail.
1. Explain the distinctive features of Jainism.
2. Explain the ideas you like in Buddhism.
111
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
1. Which of the principles of Jainism and Buddhism do you like to follow? By
following such principles what are the good changesthat can happen? Think
it over and explain.
2. Jainismand Buddhismwhich originated in Indiaare nowbeingfollowed only in
theforeign countries. Examinethe reasons.
3. Know the special features of Ajanta and Ellora or to visit a library and know
thesethings through books.
4. Onthe outline mapof Indiamark out the following places:
Saravanapelakola
Vaishali
MountAbu
iv.
Kabilavasthu
v.
Sanchi
vi.
Gaya
vii. Ajanta and Ellora
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'I can, I did'
Student's Activity Record
Subject:
Sl.No Date Lesson
No.
Topic of the
Lesson
Activities Remarks
112
191
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ANCIENT TAMIL NADU
The land mass between the
Himalayas and Cape Comorin is hailed
as our Grand Old Country of Bharath by
Bharathiyar in his "Ode to Child".
(Pappa Pattu) Historians conclude that
the land to the south of the Vindhyan
Rangeisthe most ancient intheworld.
In the southern state there are
people who speak different languages
likeTamil, Telugu,Kannada, Malayalam
and Tulu. The people who live in the
southofTirupathi speakTamil.
Bavanandhi
Munnivar.the
author of Nannool describes Tamil
Naduasfollows.
Venkata hills on the North, Cape
Comorin on South and the land
betweenthese two isTamil Nadu.
During the British rule, most of
the parts of south India was called
'Madras Presidency'. After
independence, the state which had
Tamil as its language was separated.
Arignar Anna, the then Chief Minister
in 1967 namedthe state asTamil Nadu.
The Tamil we speak can be
appreciated as Senthamizh,
Paeynthamizh and Muthamizh. The
National poet Subramania Bharathiyar
sang
"Senthmizh naadenum poothinilae-inba
Thean vandhu paayuthu kathinelae-yengal
Thanthaiyar naadenum poothinilae-oru
Sakthi pirakuthu moochinilae."
Tamil Nadu was ruled by the
descendants of Chera, Chola and
Pandya who were called Mooventhars
during the ancient time. The southern
part of south India was ruled by
Pandyas, west by Cheras and north
east by Cholas.
The PrehistoricTamil Nadu :
Before prehistoric period, the
Indian Ocean on the south of Cape
Comorinwas a land mass. It was called
as 'Kumari Kandam'. The river Fahruli
ran on this land mass which was eight
to ten times bigger than South India.
There were wide ranges of mountains.
It was said that the land had sufficient
rain, dense forest, civilized people and
efficient kingdom. That kingdom would
have been the ancient Pandyan
Kingdom.
192
People who lived on the southern part
of the land mass are considered as the
Three Sangams :
The capital of Pandyas was
Thenmadurai. Tamizhvalartha Thalai
Sangam assembled there. The
Pandyas ruled over the land with
Kapadapuramas its capital. This place
was left over after the tsunami in which
Thenmadurai was taken away by the
sea. In Kapadapuram the poets
gathered and hadthe Second Sangam.
That city also becamea preyto tsunami
later.
Then the Pandyas ruled with
Madurai as their capital. The last
Sangam was held in Madurai Muthoor.
It was known as Kudal as the Pandya
kings patronized the poets and held
research on Tamil. It was believedthat
the First, Second and Third Sangam
helped in the development of literature
and Tamil flourished under the
leadership of Pandyan Kings. These
Sangams would have been for a long
time.
The Continent Lemuria :
The conditions were favourable
for the growth of living organisms only
at Cape Comorin which was
submerged after the tsunami. Because
of this the evolution of man would have
taken placethen. The languagespoken
by those people was the basic of Tamil
language. The researchers believed
that those were the ancient Tamilians.
ancestors of the people of Cape
Comorin. There was a big land mass
connecting Africa and Australia, which
was called Lemuria after the name of
the monkey Lemur.
It was believed that human
beings evolved from the Lemurs. The
language of the people was ancient
Tamil. The landwhere their decendents
livedwas calledTamil Nadu.
Historic period:
The historic period of Tamil
Nadu began from the Sangam age.
Sangam age is the period during which
the poets of the Third Sangam joined
together and did research on Tamil.
This period lasted for 400 years from
BT200
-AT 200. Some consider that it
was between BT300-AT300.
Note BT-ATwas calculated basedon
the birthyear of Thiruvalluvar ie 31 B.C.
According to the decision taken by
Tamil scholars that time can be
calculated considering that
Thiruvalluvar was born 31 years before
Christ. This was accepted and
announced bythe Government of Tamil
Nadu.
The Sangam literatures, what
we got now are Ettuthogai and
Pathupattu. The poem in these
literature were written by Kapilar,
Paranar, Avvayyar, Nakkeerar,
193
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and hundredsof poets. With the helpof
these we can understand the
civilization, customs, culture and
political lifeof Tamilians.
Tolkappiumwhich was a prideto
Tamil literature originated before the
Third Sangam. Tamil literature would
have developed a few thousand years
ago. It was a pride to Tamil, that
Tirukkural which was hailed by all the
religions originated during the Sangam
age.
Our mother tongue Tamil which
is adoptive to grammatical norms and
is called Senthamizh. Scholars call
Tamil a classical language, because it
haddeveloped without the help of other
languages.
Activity:
Identify the type of land division that
you live in. Write down.
The people who lived in the
south which was surrounded by water
on three sides were good sea traders
before the Sangam age as per the
proverb, "Tiraikadal oodiyum
thiraviyam theddu". The language
Tamil is abundant with words like Navai,
Kalam, Kappal, Thoni, Odam, Padagu,
Theppam and Katamaram which are
used to denote the mode of travel at
sea.
This shows their interest in sea
trade. There were many ports like
Puhar, (Kaveripoompattinam), Korkai,
Musiri, Thondi and Vanchi. They had
trade contacts with Egypt, Yavanam,
Rome, China and other eastern
countries. They followed the barter
system.
Mohenjo-daro and Harappa
excavated in the Northern hemisphere
were examples of town civilization. They
Five division of Lands
194
examined thousands of things found
there . It was proved that it had
connection with the SouthernTamilians
for morethanfour- five thousand years
ago. This showed that in those days
Tamilians were not only inthe south but
also inthe north.
During the Sangam, the poets
divided the lands into five physical
divisions. The mountainous regionwas
called Kurinchi, the forested regionwas
referred as Mullai, the coastal area was
Neidel and the sandy regions which
suffered drought were called Palai. The
occupation of the people depended on
the regionwhere they lived.
In those days, the most
important duty of the kings
was protecting their subjects.
Apart from the kings there were
chieftains and patrons who ruled
smaller regions. Conditions were
favourable for the poets, pannar,
koothar, viraliyar, traders, idayars,
uzhavars, maravars to lead a
comfortable life.
Agriculture was honored as it
provided food to all. Next to agriculture
weaving was given importance.
TheThreeTamil kingdoms :
The Pandyas :
The Pandyan king Mudathirumaran and
Thalaiyalanganathu Cheruvendra
Neduncheziyan who defeated the
combined forces of seven kings, lived in
the Pandya kingdom. The one who
played an important role in
Sillapathigaram by saying, "Yano
Arrasan; Yanae Kalvan" (I am not a king,
I amthe culprit) and established truth was
also a renowned Pandya king.
The Cheras :
The famous, Chera kings
Imayavaramban Neduncheralathan and
Sillambu Pugazh Cheran Senguttuvan
reached the Himalayas and hoisted the
Cheraflag.
195
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TheCholas :
The famous Chola kings were Karikal
Peruvallathanand Killivalavan.
Karikalan who ruled over two
thousand years ago conquered Eelam.
He made the captives build the bank of
river Cauvery. Kallanai which exists
even today was built by him. This
famous king was called as Karikal
Peruvallathan.
The famous kings of the
medieval period were Rajaraja Chola
and Rajendra Chola. They conquered
not only the North but also Java and
Kadaram.
The seven chieftains were
called as Kadaiyelu Vallalgal. The
famous among them were Pari, Ori,
Kari, Nalli, Elini, PeganandAay.
According to the Thirukkural
mentioned above there was a society
without any discrimination.
There were discrimination
according to their occupations. There
was sect system but they were not
discriminated according to their birth.
Untouchability was not in practice. In
due course, caste discrimination and
untouchability came intoforce.
Women had the privilege of
choosing their life partners. Parents
agreed to that. The rituals, raising of
holy fire and chanting of mantras were
not in vogue. Women were not treated
as pertheVedas.
As building of temples was not
in practice, the Sangam people
worshipped the stones erected in
memory of the dead soldiers which
were known as Hero Stones or
Nadukkal andtheir ancestors.
They celebrated harvest
festival, Pongal festival and the festival
of Spring season. In the capital they
celebrated Indiravizha. They did not
know about the festivals of the
Puranas.
Social Life :
"Pirrapokkumella uirukkum-chirappova
Cheithozhil vettrumai yan"
196
Evaluation:
I. Choosethe correct answer :
1. The area that was considered as the most ancient one in the world
a) Ganges Valley
b) the area in the south of Vindhyas
c) north west valley
2. The land mass on the South Kanyakumari during pre-historic period
a) Continent of Kumari
b) Continent of Bharath
c) Continent of Africa
3. The place where evolution of man began
a) Mediterranean countries
b) Asyria
c) Lemuria
4. Which year is considered as the birth year of Thiruvalluvar
a) AD 31
b) BC 31
c) AD 13
5. The city where the Second Sangam was held
a) Thenmadurai
b) Kapadapuram
c) Koodal Nagar
Fill inthe blanks:
1. was the organisation where the Tamil poets assembled and
2.
3.
4.
5.
didthe literary research inTamil.
The_were the ancestors of the peopleof Cape Comorin.
The historical periodof theTamil beganfrom _age.
The Grammar book, _originated beforetheThird Sangam.
_was the most important occupation of the Sangamage.
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III. Match the following:
1. Tolkappiam - Yano Arrasan; YanaeKalvan
2. Mullai - HeroStones
3. PandiyarNeduncheziyan - Ravi
4. Heroicdeath - coastal area
5. Kurinchi - book beforeTamil Sangam
6. Neithel - forest area
IV. Answer the following:
1. Why isTamil knownas classical language?
2. NametheTamil words which are usedto denote the modeof travel at sea.
3. Why is Madurai knownas Kudal?
4. What arethe countrieswith whomtheTamilians hadtrade?
5. Mentionthe physical divisions of the landduringthe Sangamage.
6. Namethefamous Pandya kings.
7. Namethe important Chera kings.
8. Write noteson Karikal Peruvallathan.
9. Namethe KadaiyeluVallalgal.
10. Mentionthe social status of women duringthe Sangamage.
V. Answer indetail :
1. Write the characteristic features of the ancient Tamil.
2. Describethe First, SecondandThird Sangam.
3. Write about the sea trade of the SangamAge.
198
Formative Assessment
1. Prepareand display the modelsof 5types of lands.
2. Prepare a tabular column based on the trees, flags and flowers of the three tamil
kingdoms.
3. Dothefestivals of the present time gives only happiness? Discuss.
4. Who amI?
Landand areas aroundthe land. Who amI?
Mountainand areas aroundthe mountains. Who amI?
Forestsand areas aroundtheforests. Who am I?
Sea and areas aroundthe sea. Who am I?
Draught stricken area- Who amI?
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'I can, I did'
Student's Activity Record
Subject:
Sl.No Date Lesson
No.
Topic of the
Lesson
Activities Remarks
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1. RISE OF KINGDOMS
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Mahajanapadas:
At the end of the Vedic period, the
Janapadas fought with each other for
the newfertile lands and mineral wealth
and for the same reason they tried to
move towards the east. Because of
this, they had clashes with the non-
Aryans who came from the east and
south of the IndusValley. Ultimately, the
small Janapadas either defeated or
joined themselves with the
Mahajanapadas.
Many Janapadas joined to form
the Mahajanapadas. They depended
more on the types of lands than on the
clans. There are sources to prove that
during the periodof Buddhathere were
16 powerful Mahajanapadas in North
India. Some of them were ruled by
hereditary kings. The rest were ruled by
elected kings. There were 18 groups
together in the Vajjian confederacy
which had Vaishali as their capital.
Kosala, Avanti, Vatsa and Magadha
were some of the powerful monarchies
of this period. They fought with each
other and other republics.Ultimately,
Magadha defeated others and
became the most powerful
Mahajanapada.
Rise of Magadha :
Bimbisara - Ajatasatru
The area around Patna in
Mahajanapadas
1. Anga 7. Kedi 13. Aswakas
2. Magadha 8. Vatsa 14. Avanti
3. Kosala 9. Kuru 15. Gandhara
4. Kasi 10. Panchala 16. Kamboja
5. Vajji 11. Matsya
6. Malla 12. Surasena
\
--
X
today's Bihar is called Magadha. It's
first capital was Siravasthi, the second
capital was Rajgir and lastly
Pataliputra. Bimbisara belonged to
Haryanka Dynasty. He expanded the
kingdomof Magadha by conquests and
by marriage alliances. His son
Ajatasatru imprisoned his father and
succeeded the throne. He waged war
for a long period with Kosala, Avanti,
Vaishali and extended his empire. The
fort of Pataliputra was laid by
Ajatasatru.
Sisunaga-Mahapadma Nanda
Sisunaga defeated the Haryanka
Dynasty. The Nanda Dynasty who
succeeded Sisunga Dynasty spread
the rule of Magadha throughout north
India. Mahapadmananda, the first
Nanda king crossed the Vindhyas and
annexed Deccan. He extended the
Magadha Empire beyond Vindhyas to
Deccan.
152
Though Sisunaga and
Mahapadmananda, were Sudras they
became the kings. It was a great
change.The Nandas patronized
Jainism.The Macedonian king
Alexander came with his troops
through the West of India. He had to
return since hewas aware of the Nanda
warfare and his soldiers were tired after
a longjourney.
MAURYAN EMPIRE
Chandragupta Maurya :
Chandragupta of Mauryan
Dynasty revolted against the last
Nanda king Dhanananda, defeated him
and took over the Magadha Dynasty
(BC324-299).
Megasthenese
He invaded parts of West India
which were annexed by the Greeks
under the leadership of Alexander and
extended the Mauryan Dynasty. He
defeated the Greek General Selecus
Nikator and he annexed Afghanistan
and Gandnarawith hisempire.
Megasthenese,the ambassador
of Selecus stayed at Pataliputra for
manyyears andwrote about Indiainhis
book 'Indica'. The Jain religious text
says that Chandragupta Maurya
became a monk leaving his throne and
went with the Jain monk, Bhadrabagu
to south India. Heended his life by fast
unto death as a devout follower of
Jainismat Saravanabelagola.
Ashoka:
Chandragupta was succeeded
by his son Bindusara, who ruled for 25
years. Hewas succeeded by one of his
sonsAshoka. (BC273-236) For the first
four years, he spent his time to
suppress his brothers who were his
rivals. After the eighth year, he waged a
terrible war against Kalinga which was
separated and annexed with the
Mauryan empire. Ashoka was so upset
and grief stricken at the sight of the war
that he took a pledge that he would
never wage war again.
Kl
Chandragupta Maurya
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Ashoka's DharmaVijaya:
Ashoka declared that helping
his subjects and leading them in the
righteous way is the duty of a king. He
spent the rest of his life, meeting people
and helping them. He hated 'Dig Vijaya'
(Conquest of the World). In order to
spread Dharma, he undertook a
journey which was called 'Dharma
Vijaya'. He constructed inns and
hospitals for everyone irrespective of
caste and creed. Medical assistance
was given to cattle. Sacrifices were
banned. The laws were altered on
humanitarian basis. Death sentence
was reduced. He spread Dharma
among people through rock edicts
which were inscribed on regional
languages. He appointed
Dharmamahamatras to help the
people. Ashoka was the first emperor
who established the welfare state for
people.
Ashoka and Buddhism:
Ashoka embraced Buddhism
which insisted love, knowledge and
discipline. Eventhough he was a
Buddhist, he was kind to Brahmins and
Agivagirs. He took maximum effort to
spread Buddhism. He renovated and
expanded the monuments at
Kapillavastu, Saranath and
Buddhagaya.He constructed hundreds
of stupas and pillars. He organized the
Third Buddhist Council at Pataliputra.
In order to spread Buddhism, he sent
Buddhist monks to different parts of his
empire and also to foreign countries.
Mahendra, the one who spread
Buddhismin Ceylonwas believedto be
his son. Buddhism became a world
religionbythe efforts of Ashoka.
Ashoka's contribution to art and
architecture :
Ashoka's stupas and pillars are
considered to be the oldest after the
monuments of the Indus Valley
Civilization. Buddhist stupas at Sarnath
and Lumbini are marvellous.The
Ashoka's pillar cannot be compared
with any other art. The structure of
Ashoka's pillar, the bell shaped capital
resembling an inverted lotus shows the
influenceof the Persianarchitecture.
Ashoka Sarnath Pillar
154
Ashoka's Stone Edicts:
MauryanAdministration:
Ashoka's royal proclamations
and messages are inscribed on the
walls of the caves, stone pillars and
rocks that are kept all through his
empire. Most of them are written in
Prakrit, Kharoshti in north western
India, Greek in Afghanistan. These
edicts depict Ashoka's humanitarian
loveand non-violence.

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Ashoka's
Stone Edict
The Stone Edict of Ashoka:
"I captured Kalinga after eight
years of war. In the war, one lakh
people died and one and a half lakh
people left the country.
It made me very sad when more
than a lakh of my people were killed
and captured during the war of
Janapata. The war separated loved
ones.
The ruins of the war affected all
the people. It troubled me. So I
accepted Dharma more than war."
-Ashoka
For the convenience of
administration, the empire was divided
into five provinces. Taxilla was the
capital of North province, Ujjaini was the
capital of West province, Swarnagiri
was the capital of South province and
Dosali was the capital of East province.
The main province, Magadhawas ruled
by the king himself with Pataliputra as
its capital.
A council of ministers and army
chiefs were appointed to help the king
in his administration.They were
appointed without the discrimination of
caste.The higher officials called
Mahamatras were appointed as
superintendents and governors of the
big provinces. Princes were also
appointed as Mahamatras. There were
other officers like Yuktas, Pradeshikas,
Ambassdors and Spies. Those who
protected the frontier were known as
'Andamahamatras' . Dharma
mahamatras looked after the moral life
of the public. There were local self
government in the cities.
Megasthenese described in his Indica
that the administration of the city of
Pataliputra was maintained by a set of
30 officers who belonged to 6
committees. Each committee had a
specific duty. The strong army of
Mauryas was administered by a set of
30 officers. Infantry, cavalry, elephants,
chariots and navy were controlled by 5
committees. The sixth committee
looked after the transport, food,
medical facility and production of
weapons for the army.
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vTaxill,
Indraprasth;
Sarnath
Sanchi
Girinar
Tamralipti
Dosali
Kalinga
,Swarnai
Siddapur
Kanch
Chola

'Pandya:
Srilanka]
The Mauryan Empire
during Ashoka's period
o
The Mauryan Empire during Ashoka's period
C.
P
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156
The judicial administration was
very strict. Ashoka brought some
changes on humanitarian grounds.
Torture was banned. He introduced
new methods to console the people
who were given death sentence. The
tenure of pettycaseswere reduced.
Kings and ministers went on tours to
solvethe problemsof the people.
Brihadratha, the last king of the
Maurya Dynasty was assassinated by
Pushyamitra. After this, the Magadha
lost its power for morethan 500years.
Evaluation
I. Choose the correct answer
1. The one who built fort Pataliputra
a. Ashoka b. Bimbisara c. Ajathasatra
2. The bookwritten by Megasthenese
a. Arthasasthra b. Indica c. Mudra-rakshasa
3. Ashoka ascendedthethrone in
a. BC232 b. BC273 c. BC255
4. The placewhere theThird Buddhist Council was held
a. Pataliputra b. Kashmir c. Kapilavastu
II . True or false
1. Selecus Nikator was the ambassador of Megasthenese.
2. Mahapadmananda was the first king of Nanda Dynasty.
3. Ashoka refused Dharma Vijaya and accepted Dig Vijaya.
4. Ashoka was the first one to establish a welfare state for people.
5. Mahendra spread Buddhism at Ceylon.
III. Answer the following
1. How did the Mahajanapadas establish themselves?
2. To whom does the credit go in establishing the first empire in India? - Explain.
3. Ashoka was the one who established an empire for the welfare of the people-
Why?
4. What are the causes for the change inAshoka's life?
5. Explain the inscriptions used in the stone edicts of Ashoka.
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1. The common people were much affected during the wars between kings of the
older days. Enumerate how the people are affected today.
2. Visit a nearby stone edict and try to read the letters on it.
3. Draw a picture of Saranath pillar or Write the details you learnt from the picture of
the pillar.
4. Draw the boundaries of Mauryan Empire during Ashoka's period and mark the
following places in the given map.
Thatsaseelam
Indra prartham
Pataliputram
Saranath
Gaya
Kalingam
Girinagar
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2. KUSHANA EMPIRE
158
The powerful empire which was
established in India after the decline of
the Mauryans were the Kushans. The
Kushans were the people who
belonged to the Yueh-chi tribe. During
the 1st century AD Kadphises I
established the kingdom of Kushana in
the Northwest part of India. Kadphises
II (AD 65-75) who succeeded
Kadphises I conquered Punjab and
IndusValley.
Kanishka:
After the death of Kadphises II,
Kanishka (AD 78-101) captured the
throne. Hewas considered asthe most
powerful kingof Kushans. He marched
to Pataliputra and subdued Saka
Satraps. He fought with the Chinese
twice. Hewas defeated by the Chinese
commander-in-chief Panchao in the
first expedition. In the second war, he
won and annexed Kashgar, Yarqand,
Khotan and the parts of central Asia
with his Empire. He created a new
capital called Purushapuram.
(Peshawar).
He was impressed by
Buddhism. He organized the Fourth
Buddhist Council at Kashmir. The
famous Buddhist philosophers like
Vasupandu, Ashvaghosa and
Nagarjuna participated in the Fourth
Buddhist Council.
The new division of Buddhism,
Mahayana originated in this council.
Groupsof monkswere sent toTibet and
Chinato spread Mahayana.
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Ashvaghosha, who was the
Mahayana Buddhist scholar wrote
large volumes of Sanskrit literature like
Buddhacharita, Sutralankar.
Vasumithra compiled Mahavibhasa.
Nagarjuna wrote books on philosophy.
Charaka, a famous physician and the
great builder Ajilasim were in
Kanishka's Empire.
The Gandhara art which
combined the Indo-Greek style made
new statues of Buddha and
Bodhisatvas. Kanishka was called
Asoka II because of the involvement
and the steps he took for the spread of
Buddhism. The year that Kanishka
ascended the throne was the beginning
of the Saka era. He met a violent death
in his tent. Thus the Kushan Empire
declined.
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THE GUPTA EMPIRE
After the Kushansthe next empire
to arise in north India was that of the
Guptas with Pataliputra as it's capital.
Chandragupta Iwas the first important
king of the Gupta dynasty(AD319-335).
The year of his coronation was
considered as the beginning of the
Gupta Era. The Allahabad inscription
describes the conquests and the
victories of Samudragupta (AD 335-
375) who succeeded Chandragupta I.
The Gupta empire extended from
Bengal to Indus and the Himalayas to
Vindhyas. The Allahabad inscription
describes that he conquered 9 North
Indian kings, 11 Republicans and 12
South Indiankings. TheAllahabad pillar
inscriptionwas inscribed by his minister
Harisena. After Samudra Gupta,
Chandragupta II (AD 380
-
414) was
considered as a famous king.
He defeated Sakas, the foreign
invadersand captured Ujjain.
r
The epics like Ramayana,
Mahabharatha, 18 Puranas and
Panchathanthiras were compiled during
Gupta's period. They patronized Sanskrit
scholars like Kalidasa, Pasar and
Visagathatha. Sanskrit was the official
language. They built small temples for
Gods and Goddess like Vishnu, Shiva
and Durga. The Ajanta cave paintings
and sculptures belonged to the Gupta
age.
The famous astrologer and
mathematician, Aryabhatta,
Varahamihira, the famous physicians
Saragar, Susurudar and Dhanvantari
belonged to the Gupta age. The iron
pillar at Mehrauli which is 1500 years
old is a specimen of the art of
metallurgy that flourished during the
Gupta age. Nalanda University was
founded by Kumara Gupta. Caste
system was worse. The sacrifices
which were bannedduring the periodof
Ashoka revived. They worshipped
Shiva, Sakthi, Vishnu, Kumaran
(Murugan) and temples were built for
HinduGods.
Gupta period was considered
the Golden Age. The Gupta empire
declined because of the invasion of
Pushyamithra and Huns. The Chinese
traveller Fahien visited the Buddhist
pilgrim centres during the period of
Chandragupta II. (Vikramaditya)
Ajanta Cave Painting Mehrauli Iron Pillar
160
Kanauj.
Vaishali
Pataliputra
Prayag
MARSHA'S EMPIRE
Salukyas
R. Krishna;
Harsha
HARSHA DYNASTY
Harshavardhana, the King of
Thaneshwar created an empire in north
India which was already defeated by
the Huns after the downfall of the
Guptas. (AD606
-
647) Harshafought
for a long time with Sasanka, the one
who killed his brother. In this war, the
king of Kamarubha,(Assam)
Bhaskaravarma helped him. After the
death of Sasanka, he annexed most of
the parts of the kingdomof Bengal. As
per his sister's request, he became the
king of Kanauj, which became his
capital. He conquered Malwa, Sind
and Orissa. He also tried to conquer
south India which was a failure
because PulikesinIIdefeated Harsha.
Because of the influence of his
sister and Hieun Tsang, the Chinese
scholar, Harsha embraced Buddhism.
He held religious councils at Kanauj
and Prayag. In this, most of the
Buddhist and other religious scholars
participated. At the end of the council,
hegenerously distributed all hiswealth
Nalanda University
to the monks, scholars and public. The
Nalanda University was the great seat
of learning which came to limelight
under Harsha's patronage. It attracted
not only Indiansbut alsoforeigners.
Harsha went on frequent tours
to find out the problems and fulfil the
needs of his subjects during his
administration. He patronized art and
architecture. His minister Bana was a
Sanskrit scholar.
HARSHA'S EMPIRE
Purushapuram i
Himalayas
Arabian Sea Bay of Bengal
Extent of Harsha's Empire
Indian Ocean
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II. State whether true or false
He wrote the book called
'Harshacharita'. Harsa, who was a
scholar wrote Nagananda, Ratnavali
and Priyadarshika. The Chinese
Buddhist monk Hieun Tsang visited
India during his reign. He visited
Kanauj, Prayag, Nalanda and
Kanchipuram. He stayed in
Harsha's court for sometimes.
Si-Yu-Ki, a book on tours tells about
Buddhism and about India on those
days. Harsha's Empire was the last
Empire in north India before the Islamic
conquest.
I. Fill inthe blanks
1. -
Evaluation
establishedthe Kushana Dynasty.
2. The book BuddhaCharitawas written by-
3. -was the physicianof the Gupta period.
4. -was the kingofThaneshwar.
5. The periodof Guptawas calledthe-
of
India.
1. Peshawar was the capital of Kanishka.
2. Si-yu-ki was written by Hieun Tsang.
3. Ajilasim was the Greek architect.
4. Mehruali pillar belongs to the age of the Guptas.
5. Ashvaghosha wrote Sutralankar.
III. Match the following
1. Fourth Buddhist Council
2. Samudra Gupta's period
3. Kanishka's period
4. Pannar
5. Harsha
6. Kushan
7. Ashokall
8. Nalanda University
9. Kadphisesl
estabilished Kushan Empire
KumaraGupta
Kanishka
Yueh-Chi tribe
AD335-AD375
AD 78-AD101
Harshacharita
Kashmir
Priyadharshika
IV. Answer the following
1. Explain the background of Gandhara art.
2. Why Gupta's period is knownas the 'GoldenAge' of India?
3. Mention the foreign invaders who were responsible for the decline of
Guptas.
4. Explain-Saka period and Gupta period.
5. Discussabout Fahienand HieunTsang.
1. Fill in the blanks
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2. Write the names of the books and authors that you have read in the library.
3. How was it possible for Hieun Tsang to come to India when there was no transport
facilities during those days? Know such travel experience by when reading or
listening.
4. What was the main interest of the kings?
I. War
II. Social service discuss.
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